From the Veil
by Anime0taku
Summary: The afterlife keeps a close count on the number of souls it is supposed to have. So when one is forced through the Veil, it has no choice but to send another to replace it. But how will the people on the outside react to Atem's appearance? And what does this all have to do with Lord Voldypants? More complex than first glance.
1. Chapter 1: Life, Again

From the Veil Summary: The afterlife keeps a close count on the number of souls it is supposed to have. So when one is forced through the Veil, it has no choice but to send another to replace it. But how will the people on the outside react to Atem's appearance? And what does this all have to do with Lord Voldypants?

DISCLAIMER: I own nuttin. Not even the first half of the chapter. That belongs to Silverpaint. My words start at Remus' POV. Anything you recognize besides my writing style isn't mine.

**..:':..::"::..:::**Chapter 1: Life, Again**:::..::"::..:':.. **

In a strange way, it was beautiful.

He'd never imagined he would call death beautiful, but that was the only way to describe this suicidal walk. White light, the very purest kind, washed over him, enveloping him, drowning him, smothering him, dragging him down into the very depths of the afterlife. He was dying, and loved every minute of it.

After all, he had already died three thousand years ago.

As he continued walking, sensations dulling with every step, he felt a little regretful about leaving Yugi behind. He reassured himself with the fact that Yugi had his loyal friends supporting him. He didn't need a ghost to stand up for him anymore. (In another, stranger way, he never did.)

He would miss Yugi, yes, but he would have his long-lost friends and family, and that made up for the loss of his lighter half. And one day, hopefully in a far, distant future, Yugi would join him, and he would be complete once more.

As he continued on - was he even walking anymore? He didn't know - he was sure that he would see his Egyptian friends ahead of him any time now. He had never been one to blindly trust, but this he knew, because his skin was tanned and adorned with gold, even if he couldn't feel it anymore.

(He was already dead.)

…

He went on.

…

He didn't know how much time had passed, but he went on.

…

Then, ahead of him in the light, he made out a crumbling archway. It was ancient-looking, although he had learned to never assume things by their appearance, and a worn, white veil hung over it. The veil was completely still, which was odd, but he supposed that the archway must have been stronger than it looked.

Some part of him wished to enter the archway, but he knew he wasn't supposed to, (his friends would be just around the next bend, he deserved his rest after three thousand years), but to his horror, he found that he was approaching it, and could not stop. He mentally struggled against it, but he couldn't feel anything either, and the archway loomed closer, and he saw that the archway was much larger than it had initially appeared.

The white veil was closer, coming close, close, right in front of his face and horror freezing his soul, he stumbled through it, and he was -

-alive.

The world swirled around him and he shut his eyes tightly closed, clenching his fists to block the pure pain that raced through his skin. It seared like fire, a burning fire that was cold and light and calm, and ran to the tips of his spiky hair. Spots of light danced before his eyes, and he stumbled forwards, feet slipping on a stone floor.

There was a yell, and shouts of surprise, although he couldn't hear them, and a voice called out something strange, his world swirled into darkness, and he unconsciously crumpled to the floor.

_** ..:':..::**Line Break**::..:':.. **_

(A/N: Yeah, too lazy to re-read that one HP chapter. Sorry if it's off. :p)

Remus Lupin gasped, unconsciously letting go of Harry. Sirius had just fallen through the Veil. That wasn't what had made him gasp, though. Oblivious to whatever had shocked Remus, Harry raced off to get revenge on Bellatrix, who he believed had just killed his godfather. Remus stood there for a couple more seconds, what he had just seen still trying to get through his brain.

Someone had just come through the Veil.

It wasn't Sirius, that was for sure. That was what Remus had first thought when he saw the shadow behind the cloth. Surely it was Sirius, coming back to help defeat the Death Eaters. No. It wasn't. He was gone, and was never coming back. Who was it, though?

Whoever it was looked very beautiful. The first thing Remus noticed about him was his hair. The main part of it was charcoal-black and was fringed by red that faded into purple. It stood up in a star shape that seemed impossible without bottles of gel, but he could tell by the way the light shone on it that it was natural. Golden spikes shot up into the three main points, while his face was framed by golden bangs.

The next thing Remus noticed was his attire. A creamy cotton tunic framed his body, with a blue sash around his waist and a crimson red cloak draped across his shoulders. He wore enough gold jewelry to ransom a king four times over. The main piece, though, seemed to be an upside-down pyramid with the Eye of Horus in the center. Egyptian, then. A royal, too, based on the expensive quality of his clothing.

After getting over his hair and clothes, Remus then noticed the man's face. It held a look of shock and pain, but underneath was weariness and regality. The sharp but smooth angles of his face and the kindness that seemed to sweep off him in waves made an interesting combination. His skin was tan. Not the beach tan one gets from going on vacation, but the pure, dark, Egyptian tan. Slightly muscled arms ended in long, graceful fingers. Power seemed to be draped around him like the cloak he wore, but Remus knew instantly this man was not one to abuse this power. This would be the type of man to use it to see his people to a better future. Remus had stared, not realizing Harry had rushed off to get his revenge. He had stared at this man who had so suddenly appeared.

At least until the strange man slipped and fell.

Quickly, Remus rushed forward to help. As he came closer, he noticed a few things. The first was that the man was twitching as if in a nightmare. The second was that he was muttering under his breath in a foreign language that seemed somehow familiar. The last was that now Remus was closer, and the man was unconscious, he seemed much younger. His posture, face, and the general attitude he radiated had made him seem much older. Now that he was asleep, it could be seen that his body was young. He couldn't have been more than 17 years old.

The man's face screwed up in pain and he cried out. What was going on? Where was he hurt? Quickly Remus picked him up. He had to get the newcomer to Dumbledore. The headmaster would know what to do. He looked around. Everyone else had followed the fight-and Harry-upstairs. That was where Dumbledore would be.

The Shadows hissed in pleasure as Remus carried their master upstairs. He had truly returned, and now it was time for them to return also.

_**..:':..::**Line Break**::..:':.. **_

**A/N:** Hello. all you wonderful people. I've decided I work much like Brandon Sanderson: I can't simply focus on one story at a time. So, here this is. Sooner or later I'll get tired of this particular plot bunny and go back to my old ones. Yeah. Sorry for the short chapter! Hopefully I'll get over the habit of writing incredibly short chapters. The next one will (maybe) be longer!

Please review!


	2. Chapter 2: Where am I?

I apologize ahead of time if this chapter sucks. I'm up at 4 in the morning because of an earache and decided to get something done. Heh. I just made you all love my earache. Also, SOMETHING had to be done about the plot bunny chewing on my leg. Here you go!

DISCLAIMER: If I owned YGO, Funimation would have dubbed it, not 4Kids. If I owned Harry Potter, there would be a lot more Shadow Realm and a lot less Avada Kedavra. Why kill your victims when you can make them suffer? *Evil authoress grin*

**Key**: /_mind link_/ "_Ancient Egyptian" _ "English"

_Summary so far:_ Atem came through the Veil from the Afterlife, _alive_, and fainted. Remus saw him and brought him to Dumbledore.

..:':..::"::..:::Chapter 2: Waking Up:::..::"::..:':..

The instant Atem was even slightly awake he knew something was wrong. Why was he in control of the body? Where was Yugi? His hand flopped to his chest, looking for the Puzzle that had been his prison for so long.

...

He couldn't find it.

Atem started to panic slightly. _/Aibou?/_ he called out in his mind. There was no answer. Only the echo of an empty mind, one devoid of any kind of mind link. Oh no. What had happened to Yugi? Where was he?!

Completely awake now, Atem shot up in bed. His eyes met white walls, and the memories of his 'death' came back. The long walk. The ancient archway and white veil. The sudden feeling of life. The instant, overwhelming pain. His blackout. Atem relaxed, sighing in relief. Yugi was fine. He had been successful in sending him to the afterlife. Although, for some reason, the afterlife rejected him. Why…?

Atem glanced around at his surroundings, wondering where he was now he was reassured Yugi was okay. It was a large room. Beds lined the walls from one end to the other. The walls themselves were a sterile white. Light filtered in through the windows and made the walls shine brilliantly, almost blindingly like the afterlife had been. Well, the path to the afterlife, anyway.

Looking around his more immediate surroundings, he saw a pile of clothes on the table next to him. Clothes he had worn in his days of being a pharaoh. When he glanced down at what he was wearing, he saw nothing but a simple cream robe. What really shocked him was the color of his skin. To the left of him was a mirror. Quickly Atem got out of his bed to get a glimpse at what he looked like. He nearly fell flat on his face. It seemed his body wasn't quite recovered yet.

What he saw in the mirror didn't surprise him. He really was alive. His face was tanned much like his arms. His crimson eyes were outlined in kohl after the manner of the pharaohs. They narrowed slightly. How was he alive? That wasn't even the big question, either. WHY was he alive? Was he going to be rejected access to the afterlife, to his friends and family, time and time again? He sighed, placing one hand on his hip and running the other through his hair. Fate was cruel sometimes.

"Get rid of that absurd hair!" Atem toppled over backwards in shock. Who...

"Yes, you! Your hair is ridiculous! And do something about that eye color!" Atem's eyes widened as he realized it was the mirror who was talking to him. What kind of new technology was this?

"Ah. I see you're awake." A sharp female voice came from the left. His head jerked on that direction. On the other side of his bed was an office door. So that's where this lady came from.

His eyes turned to the speaker. She was a wrinkled lady, perhaps in her fifties. She had the air of a strict, no-nonsense person. He wondered who she was. Well, this did look like a hospital. A nurse, maybe?

"I am Nurse Pomfrey." Ah. He had guessed right. "You've been in bed for quite a while. How are you feeling?"

"_Where am I, how did I get here, and how long have I been unconscious?_" Atem paid no regard to the questions she asked. He was in need of answers.

Nurse Pomfrey looked extremely confused. "I apologize. I don't understand whatever language you're speaking. Do you know English?"

Atem frowned. He could understand her English perfectly for some reason, (*cough*plot convenience*cough*) but he apparently hadn't spoken it. What language had he spoken? Oh. His cheeks reddened slightly as he realized he had spoken Ancient Egyptian. Frantically, he tried to remember the few lessons Yugi had on English that he had bothered to listen to.

"I... ano... no speak English... good? Speak Japanese and Arabic." Well, those were his main languages, anyway. He doubted she would speak Ancient Egyptian, and he saw no need to mention Babylonian, Hebrew, and the many others he had needed to reign.

Nurse Pomfrey frowned. "That's going to be a problem. Do you know how to write?" Atem nodded, slightly insulted by the question. She took a piece of parchment, a quill, and an ink bottle out of her robe and proffered it to him. Curious, he took it. What sort of people used parchment and quills these days? Pens were so much more convenient.

"I need you to write down every little thing that seems out of place or different with your body than is considered normal. Everything."

Atem smirked. What should he start with first? Well, she probably wasn't looking for 'alive,' but he'd include that one anyway. He could feel, smell, touch, hear, everything that a dead person wasn't supposed to be able to do. In order to shorten the list, he simply put down 'not dead.' There. Oh, he should probably put down 'a little tired.' That was probably along the lines of what she actually needed, anyway.

Finishing the last line of his windswept kanji, he handed the paper back with a flourish. She took it, and without even glancing at the writing it held, took out a wooden stick not more than a foot long. Quickly she tapped it to the parchment, muttering something Atem didn't quite catch. He stood up from his position on his bed where he had sat to write and gaped at what was happening on the paper. The lines of his kanji were wriggling apart and moving across the page to form new words and letters, these ones distinctly English.

How in the world had she- Magic. Definitely magic. But it was no type of magic he had ever seen before. Where were the shadows? He couldn't see them, but they could be invisible when they wanted, anyway. The main thing was that he couldn't feel them. He had lived in the shadows for so long he had developed almost a sixth sense for when they were being used. They weren't in these circumstances. Then how...?

Nurse Pomfrey took a quick glance down the short list. 'A little tired' she had expected. But something was wrong with this man. Why would he include 'alive' and 'not dead' on his list of problems?

"Nurse Pomfrey?" a new voice spoke from the main doorway. Atem looked up from the paper where he was trying to figure out this new magic. An old man stood in the doorway. He wore robes and a pointed hat, and a silver beard trailed down from his chin to his waist. Crimson eyes met blue as they inspected each other.

"So, I assume you're the the man who came through the Veil?" Atem was silent for a moment. Finally, he nodded. This man seemed good. Of course, he wouldn't fully trust him. There were too many secrets hidden in those eyes. Still, the man seemed like one to only hold secrets until the people they were kept from were ready to hear them.

"Professor Dumbledore! Thank goodness you're here." Nurse Pomfrey rushed over to the old man. So his name was Dumbledore. Queer name. "This man doesn't speak English, so I had him write down everything that seemed off. I used 'Transiato,' and look at what he wrote! 'Alive?' 'Not dead?' What does this mean?" Anxiously she gazed at Dumbledore, looking for an answer.

"I believe he means exactly what he wrote." Nurse Pomfrey opened her mouth as if to ask him to clarify a bit more, but he held up a hand to silence her. "Did he say what languages he spoke?"

"Yes. He said... um… Arabic. Oh, and Japanese."

Dumbledore raised an eyebrow. "Japanese? I expected the Arabic, but the Japanese is unusual. Young man, do you speak Egyptian?"

Atem smirked and nodded once more. Of course he had guessed. Well, it's not like his tan and the pile of clothes on the table beside him suggested anything different.

"Wonderful. I know a little bit. Not enough to speak it clearly, but enough to understand what you say. I take it you can understand what English I speak?"

"_Yes, I can. To repeat my earlier questions, where am I, how did I get here, and how long was I unconscious?_" Atem got straight to the point.

"Would you mind telling me who you are first? It will help me answer your questions so you'll understand them the best."

He had a point there, Atem conceded. "_I am Atem, son to Pharaoh Akanhamon and cousin to Priest Seto, also known as Pharaoh Seto. I was also a pharaoh in my time. I sacrificed my name, soul, and memories to seal away the Dark God Zorc Necrophades, thus earning the title 'Nameless Pharaoh,' by which people today know me better._" Wow, talk about a dramatic introduction. Bakura would have been proud.

Dumbledore leaned closer. "Are you really? Forgive me if I don't believe you right away. Do you have a form of proof?"

Atem snorted. He folded his arm, crossed one leg over the other, and flicked his crimson eyes up at his hair. There wasn't much more solid proof than that. Besides, the only other evidence he would have had was the Millennium Puzzle, and that should be deep within the tombs of Egypt by now.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Point taken. I'll answer the easiest question first. You have been sleeping for three days. As for where you are, you are in the Hospital Wing of Hogwarts. Hogwarts is a school for magic."

"_Speaking of magic,_" Atem interrupted, "_What kind of magic is this? I have never seen anything like it before._"

_**..:':..::**Line Break**::..:':..**_

**A/N:** And hello, again! I know, I promised a longer chapter. Well, shorter and sooner is better, right? Hey, reviewers, do you want Ryou to come into this? I know I've already asked a few of you, but I'd like more opinions. Thanks!

Guest review reply: I'm very glad you liked this, Sue! Hey, is this update soon enough? Thanks for reviewing!


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